Gujarat Lions missed the services of injured all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo in their opening match of the 10th season of the Indian Premier League against Kolkata Knight Riders, said wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik. Gujarat Lions lost the match by 10 wickets after posting what looked like a decent total of 183 on the board. The hosts were undone by a record unbeaten opening partnership of 184 between Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn, who took KKR over the line without losing any wicket.

Karthik said that having Jadeja and Bravo in the side would have made the difference, but credited Gambhir and Lynn for their performance. “Jadeja and Bravo are irreplaceable,” Karthik said in the post-match press conference. “They are quality cricketers. Obviously if they had been there, I’m sure they would have made a difference. Having said that the team that went out into the park was also a very good side. Credit to Lynn and Gautam, I think they batted brilliantly. You’ve got to give credit where it’s due.”

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After being asked to bat first, Gujarat rode on an unbeaten 68 off 51 balls from captain Suresh Raina and Karthik’s quickfire 47 off 25 balls to post 183/4 on the board. Karthik said that he felt 183 was above par, and Gujarat were undone by some exceptional batting by the KKR openers, along with under-par bowling from his team.

‘Everything went wrong’

“I think after the first half everything went wrong in the second,” he said. “I don’t think we were up to the mark [with the ball]. GG and Lynn batted beautifully. I think 183 was a touch above par – the scoreline does not justify the wicket. Both [Gambhir and Lynn] batted exceptionally well – some of the shots they played were mind-boggling. I still feel we could have bowled a bit better.”

KKR surprised everyone by sending Lynn to open the innings along with Gambhir, as against Robin Uthappa who usually comes out to partner his skipper. However, Karthik said Gujarat were not surprised by the tactic. “It would have been surprising if it was the seventh or eighth match of the tournament and they were opening with somebody [new],” he said. “This is the first match of the tournament and we don’t know what they are going to do. We were open-minded and it wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was the way we lost. They really batted well.”

Gujarat have only a day’s rest before their next game against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, and Karthik said it was probably a good thing. “That’s what the IPL is all about – getting ready after setbacks and with less time,” he said. “You can’t keep thinking about the game that went by. We go to Hyderabad next and it’s important we start afresh, put our best foot forward and play the best game we can. You can’t be in the past for too long.”